Money Museum

09/02/2026

Today's Feature: 1946 S Roosevelt Dime Lexington-Concord Sesquicentennial ANA 1989.63.54 | Object: # 171 🇺🇸

Following President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s death on April 12, 1945, the Treasury moved quickly to honor him on the dime. The denomination was especially appropriate because of Roosevelt’s close association with the March of Dimes, founded to combat polio, the disease that paralyzed his legs. The organization later broadened its mission to improving the health of mothers and babies.

Chief Engraver John R. Sinnock designed both sides. His obverse presents a relatively straightforward portrait of Roosevelt, but the reverse is rich with symbolism appropriate to the immediate postwar moment: a central torch represents liberty, flanked by an olive branch for peace and an oak branch for strength and independence. It’s a remarkably compact summary of what Americans hoped would follow World War II: liberty protected by strength but directed toward peace.

💬 What other American would you honor on a coin, not just for who they were, but for a cause they championed?

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

09/01/2026

09/01/2026

Today's Feature: 1945 D Winged Liberty “Mercury” Dime ANA 1981.200.28 | Object: # 170 🇺🇸

The Winged Liberty dime ended its 30-year run in 1945, the same year World War II ended. Adolph A. Weinman’s design depicted Liberty wearing a winged cap, symbolizing freedom of thought, although the portrait’s resemblance to the Roman god Mercury gave this coin its during nickname.

Its replacement reflected a larger transformation in American coinage. In 1946, the dime would honor the recently deceased Franklin D. Roosevelt, continuing the shift from allegorical figures toward real Americans. Unlike Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln, Roosevelt belonged to living memory: millions of Americans had heard his voice on the radio and experienced his presidency through the Great Depression and World War II. The change also moved American coinage further away from the classical, Beaux-Arts aesthetic that had defined its early 20th century renaissance.

💬 Which tells America’s story better through coins: symbolic figures like Liberty or the people who shaped its history?

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://bit.ly/4zRq5q0

08/31/2026

Today's Feature: 1944 1934-A $5 Hawaii Emergency Star Note ANA 2024.11.101 | Object: # 169 🇺🇸

Following the December 7, 1941attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii became the front line of America’s war in the Pacific. Fearing the islands might be invaded, the U.S. government prepared an extraordinary contingency plan. Beginning in 1942, all circulating paper money in Hawaii was replaced with specially overprinted notes bearing the word HAWAII on both sides. If the islands fell into enemy hands, these notes would be declared worthless, preventing the Japanese from strengthening their own economy through American money.

Life in wartime Hawaii changed dramatically. Martial law remained in effect for nearly 3 years, blackouts became routine, beaches were fortified with barbed wire, and thousands of civilians worked alongside the military to defend the islands. These emergency notes became everyday reminders that the war was not a distant conflict—it had reached American soil.

This example is a 1934-A $5 Star Note, printed to replace a note damaged during production. Only about 8,000 were printed, and just 11 examples are currently recorded, making it the rarest note in the Hawaiian Emergency series. Donated by Dr. Carlson Chambliss, it is one of the museum’s greatest paper money treasures.

💬 What do you think it felt like to carry money that could be deemed worthless overnight?

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

08/28/2026

Today's Feature: 1943 Lincoln Steel Cent ANA 1968.52.27 | Object: # 168 🇺🇸

To conserve copper for World War II, the U.S. Mint replaced the traditional bronze cent with a zinc-coated steel version. More than one billion were produced at the Philadelphia, Denver and San Francisco Mints, making the 1943 steel cent one of the most recognizable emergency issues in American history. Although the design was unchanged, its bright silver color surprised the public.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing. The zinc coating wore quickly in circulation, allowing the steel underneath to rust. The new cents were also often mistaken for dimes and sometimes rejected by vending machines. Despite these shortcomings, many Americans saved the unusual coins as souvenirs of the war, leaving large numbers in excellent condition today.

💰 FUN FACT: A few leftover bronze planchets from 1942 were accidentally struck with the 1943 date. These rare 1943 bronze cents are non-magnetic, slightly heavier than the steel cents, and rank among the most valuable U.S. coins ever made. Some have sold for over $1 million! If you think you’ve found one, the first test is simple: try a magnet!

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

08/27/2026

Today's Feature: 1942 P Wartime “Silver” Nickel ANA 2023.4.57 | Object: # 167 🇺🇸

Late in 1942, the five-cent coin joined the war effort! To conserve nickel for wartime steel production, the Mint changed the traditional alloy of 75% copper and 25% nickel to 56% copper, 35% silver, and 9% manganese. To distinguish these coins from earlier nickels, the Mint added a large mintmark above Monticello on the reverse. It was the first time a “P” mintmark appeared on any circulating U.S. coin.

The new alloy was quite specific. It had to match the weight and electromagnetic properties of the original coin so it would continue to work in vending machines, telephones, and – of course – slot machines! Although the amount of nickel saved represented only a small fraction of wartime demand, the change demonstrated that every part of American industry, even pocket change, was expected to contribute to America’s fight! Unfortunately, the elements of the new alloy did not play well together causing many instances of lamination errors, due to the incomplete mixing of the alloy.

💬 What other everyday objects were adjusted to support our troops during World War II?

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

08/26/2026

Today's Feature: 1941 PF Lincoln Wheat Small Cent ANA 2010.38.81 | Object: # 166 🇺🇸

By 1941, collecting Lincoln cents had become a national pastime. Whitman coin folders encouraged collectors to fill every date and mintmark, while R.S. Yeoman’s newly published Handbook of United States Coins—the famous “Blue Book”—helped standardize prices and made the hobby more accessible than ever. This proof cent, struck with specially polished dies to produce brilliant mirror-like fields, was created for those collectors rather than for general circulation.

The growing hobby was soon interrupted by history. On December 7, 1941, the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the United States to enter World War II. Within 2 years, copper would become a strategic war material, proof coin production would be suspended, and the bronze Lincoln cent would temporarily give way to the wartime steel cent.

💬 Penny books are a very common entry into the hobby. What first sparked your interest in coin collecting? Tell us your story!

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

Today's Feature: 1940 S Washington Quarter Dollar ANA 1972.27.32| Object: # 165 🇺🇸

Originally introduced as a one-year commemorative for George Washington’s 200th birthday, the Washington quarter quickly became a permanent part of American coinage. By 1940, it had permanently replaced the Standing Liberty quarter, beginning a tradition that continues today. Although the design has evolved over the decades—from the Bicentennial reverse to the 50 State Quarters and American Woman Quarters—John Flanagan’s portrait of Washington remained a constant for generations.

As demand for coinage increased, the San Francisco Mint more than tripled its quarter production compared to the previous year. To keep up, Mint employees often extended the life of worn dies through heavy polishing, sometimes leaving raised polishing lines and softened details that collectors still study today.

💬 The Washington quarter has remained for more than 90 years. Do you think we should continue the tradition? Or is it time for a change in our change?

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/

08/24/2026

Today's Feature: 1939 Liberty Walking Half Dollar ANA 2005.1.200 | Object: # 164 🇺🇸

By 1939, sculptor Adolph A. Weinman, designer of this coin, was one of the most influential artists in the United States. Although best known today for his coinage, Weinman considered himself an architectural sculptor first. His work adorns courthouses, train stations, government buildings, and memorials across the country, bringing classical sculpture into everyday public spaces.

That same year, construction began on the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, D.C. Weinman created the pediment sculpture depicting the Committee of Five presenting the Declaration of Independence to Congress, meaning his art could be found on one of the nation’s largest national monuments as well as in the hands of millions of Americans. Few artists have had their work showcased on such dramatically different scales.

💬 Do you have a favorite coin designer? Share your artistic leanings!

Explore our (R)evolution in Currency features online today: https://www.money.org/money-museum/america250/